I looked at Ghoulsteed and don't know if I would pick that over Vengevine, but it does have synergy with Gravecrawler, can hit the field without depending on having to cast multiple creatures, and can get more things in the yard. It might be worth a slot to try out. Also, the plant costs 4 total cmc to cast vs the steeds 5, so we lose on value if we are forced to hard cast it from our hand.
Also, going to give Natural State a try in my sideboard as my counter to graveyard hate. I like how it doesn't give the opponent life when used compared to the older standby, though it might be too narrow since Abrupt Decay is already capable of hitting those targets. Having to make budget cuts and use Putrify as a filler to buy the necessary fetches and dual lands is killing me.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I have a question for you guys: How do you actually perform against Rest in Peace? Or GY Hate in general?
Going to mimic Pizzap on this one. Just about all GY hate can be hit with abrupt decay, Naturalize, etc, so how bad it impacts the deck is going to depend on how much you are depending on the GY when the hate lands, and if you got an answer or not in hand. Dredge isn't really hit as hard by hate compared to something like Affinity, which has Stony Silence to deal with and often no way to answer it in time before the other guy stabilizes.
Private Mod Note
():
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I make sure to have multiple copies of Abrupt Decay available to me at all times, alongside either Ancient Grudge or Golgari Charm, depending on the colors. Charm comes in vs any white deck since white primarily focuses on enchantments.
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():
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Modern decks: BGRDredgevineBGR UWRJeskai ControlUWR
One thing I realised after testing with Neonate: if you can discard a dredger -> insane. If you can't -> very underwhelming. I still like it more than the 2-mana enablers, Salvage and Wayfinder, but it does sound much better than it is. I'll test more and see if hitting dredgers t1 is more likely than it seems after the couple of games I played.
This is why you must play more than 5 dredgers in a Neonate list. I think 8+ is optimal. You always want one in your opening hand.
That's at least the initial list, but lots of things feel very set in stone with a few flex slots. Running all 16 possible threats that come from grave greatly increases the chance of each instance of Dredge being relevant. Although Prized Amalgam initially feels slow (not only returning at end step, but also tapped), the fact that it tags along with any of the other threats is great, and multiples get crazy really fast. I'm not saying we have a deck...but we might have a deck on our hands. It's really fast and has a bigger threat density than pre-SOI lists.
I see we've arrived at similar lists. I have removal in the side and play Loam main, along with more land than you and a 1-of Dregscape Zombie as another way to activate Amalgam. How does MD removal feel?
I worry it may slow us down when the opponent isn't playing a creature turn 1. That said, it does free up slots in the SB. I had already been considering cutting the Dregscape Zombie for a Sinister Concoction MD, and this encourages me to test that. But I don't like that Concoction is so useless when dredged.
It's a cool deck but it can't take advantage of new cards like Insolent Neonate and Prized Amalgam. Those cards are really powerful and I want to test them out, because neither Infestation Dredge or Dredgevine has been good enough to put up consistent top 8s without them. Maybe now things will change, as they enable a more Legacy-lite style for the deck.
One thing I realised after testing with Neonate: if you can discard a dredger -> insane. If you can't -> very underwhelming. I still like it more than the 2-mana enablers, Salvage and Wayfinder, but it does sound much better than it is. I'll test more and see if hitting dredgers t1 is more likely than it seems after the couple of games I played.
One more thing @Killer_Manfred: Neonate also enables T2 Vine with Neonate -> Discard Vine -> Gravecrawler. Maybe it's not the optimal use of Neonate, but it's still powerful and still happens frequently.
Are we allowed to post budget options for those building into the full deck here or does that go in the budget forum? I can never figure out which forum to post stuff in when it overlaps real closely.
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():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Are we allowed to post budget options for those building into the full deck here or does that go in the budget forum? I can never figure out which forum to post stuff in when it overlaps real closely.
No one's going to crucify you for posting it, but I wouldn't expect much feedback. The Budget Thread is probably the better alternative.
I posted the thoughts I had over in the budget section. Mostly, I'm kind of surprised by Holdout Settlement for mana fixing. Normally I hate tapping down creatures, but since we basically have zero defenders anyway and summoning sickness floating around most of the time (at least from my dry runs online), the drawbacks of the land don't have a lot of impact. Still wouldn't play it as more than a 2 of as it doesn't work turn 1.
That and the new SoI lands aren't bad for budget fast lands, either. Only issue is the consistency hit.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I posted the thoughts I had over in the budget section. Mostly, I'm kind of surprised by Holdout Settlement for mana fixing. Normally I hate tapping down creatures, but since we basically have zero defenders anyway and summoning sickness floating around most of the time (at least from my dry runs online), the drawbacks of the land don't have a lot of impact. Still wouldn't play it as more than a 2 of as it doesn't work turn 1.
That and the new SoI lands aren't bad for budget fast lands, either. Only issue is the consistency hit.
I started off on a budget. Lands were my last focus because of the price of some of the pieces. You definitely need lands to make the deck work, but checklands are a few dollars are a good way to start a manabase that doesn't rip apart your paychecks.
I posted the thoughts I had over in the budget section. Mostly, I'm kind of surprised by Holdout Settlement for mana fixing. Normally I hate tapping down creatures, but since we basically have zero defenders anyway and summoning sickness floating around most of the time (at least from my dry runs online), the drawbacks of the land don't have a lot of impact. Still wouldn't play it as more than a 2 of as it doesn't work turn 1.
That and the new SoI lands aren't bad for budget fast lands, either. Only issue is the consistency hit.
I started off on a budget. Lands were my last focus because of the price of some of the pieces. You definitely need lands to make the deck work, but checklands are a few dollars are a good way to start a manabase that doesn't rip apart your paychecks.
Yeah, for the moment I'm using my existing fetch lands (4x polluted Delta), and buying up wooded foothills so I got a fetch that can nab every color, then working on the right mix of checklands and shocks. Next step would be to get the bloodstained mires.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Yeah, for the moment I'm using my existing fetch lands (4x polluted Delta), and buying up wooded foothills so I got a fetch that can nab every color, then working on the right mix of checklands and shocks. Next step would be to get the bloodstained mires.
Black fetches should be your primary, so focusing on Bloodstained Mire, Verdant Catacombs, and Polluted Delta will do the trick!
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Modern decks: BGRDredgevineBGR UWRJeskai ControlUWR
Surprisingly, no. I cut the Abrupt Decay to try and play more of an all-in plan. I wanted all of my cards to either have some effect on the graveyard or be recursive.
I will say that it's far from my final list. I wanted to get some games in with Prized Amalgam and see what it did. Some numbers of other creatures will surely be shaved down to fit the Abrupt Decay back in. My thoughts are to trim down the Satyr Wayfinder and potentially something else. I certainly want to get a few dozen more games on paper with Amalgam to determine if three is the number that I want.
After I determine this, then I will put 2-3 back in.
I posted the thoughts I had over in the budget section. Mostly, I'm kind of surprised by Holdout Settlement for mana fixing. Normally I hate tapping down creatures, but since we basically have zero defenders anyway and summoning sickness floating around most of the time (at least from my dry runs online), the drawbacks of the land don't have a lot of impact. Still wouldn't play it as more than a 2 of as it doesn't work turn 1.
That and the new SoI lands aren't bad for budget fast lands, either. Only issue is the consistency hit.
I started off on a budget. Lands were my last focus because of the price of some of the pieces. You definitely need lands to make the deck work, but checklands are a few dollars are a good way to start a manabase that doesn't rip apart your paychecks.
If you're playing Hedron Crab, such as myself, would you recommend picking up fetches in the beginning and foregoing the budget considerations?
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"Don't believe everything you read on the internet." - Abraham Lincoln
I posted the thoughts I had over in the budget section. Mostly, I'm kind of surprised by Holdout Settlement for mana fixing. Normally I hate tapping down creatures, but since we basically have zero defenders anyway and summoning sickness floating around most of the time (at least from my dry runs online), the drawbacks of the land don't have a lot of impact. Still wouldn't play it as more than a 2 of as it doesn't work turn 1.
That and the new SoI lands aren't bad for budget fast lands, either. Only issue is the consistency hit.
I started off on a budget. Lands were my last focus because of the price of some of the pieces. You definitely need lands to make the deck work, but checklands are a few dollars are a good way to start a manabase that doesn't rip apart your paychecks.
Is there a reason you aren't playing Insolent Neonate? You dismissed it quite harshly before and gave literally no explanation.
I'll admit I did do it harshly. I pilot my deck to a reasonable amount of success. Every card in there is synergetic with the entire deck. I don't have a card in my 75 that I'm disappointed to draw (with the exception of my 5th and 6th lands :P)
It is very good at the beginning of the game when I have a dredger to discard and start the chain immediately. Someone on the previous page pointed this out as well, but I feel that if I don't it's a lackluster 1/1 with no immediate effect, aside from being 1 of 2 cards that I cast to trigger Vengevine. There are so many 1 CMC creatures I'd rather play before it...Birds of Paradise, Vexing Devil, and Goblin Bushwhacker, not necessarily in that order, but I feel that I'd rather topdeck a zombie or a 2 CMC creature that does more with the graveyard, i.e. Satyr Wayfinder that cycles itself, or Lotleth Troll with regen and zombie recursion!
I'm also not comfortable changing my entire list. I am an advocate for 4 Gurmag Angler because of its power level. I went to three knowing that with the amount of card draw and how deep I get into my library, that I still have a 68.3% chance of seeing one in my top twenty cards. I used this and other slots to replace with Prized Amalgam, which I'm happy about. I can't bring myself to replace a 1 CMC 5/5 zombie with a 1/1 Vampire with no recursive effect. I feel like my power level goes down if I totally switch out a card that I've won dozens of matches with over the past year or more.
At best, I discard a dredger and get him back or pitch a Vengevine. I have playsets of Lotleth Troll and Faithless Looting that discarding is typically not something I'm worried about, especially with the flashback. I also prefer my first turn to either by Looting or saving life by not fetching/shocking.
Note to players: I will still include Neonate in the front page once I update it
Is there a reason you aren't playing Insolent Neonate? You dismissed it quite harshly before and gave literally no explanation.
I'll admit I did do it harshly. I pilot my deck to a reasonable amount of success. Every card in there is synergetic with the entire deck. I don't have a card in my 75 that I'm disappointed to draw (with the exception of my 5th and 6th lands :P)
It is very good at the beginning of the game when I have a dredger to discard and start the chain immediately. Someone on the previous page pointed this out as well, but I feel that if I don't it's a lackluster 1/1 with no immediate effect, aside from being 1 of 2 cards that I cast to trigger Vengevine. There are so many 1 CMC creatures I'd rather play before it...Birds of Paradise, Vexing Devil, and Goblin Bushwhacker, not necessarily in that order, but I feel that I'd rather topdeck a zombie or a 2 CMC creature that does more with the graveyard, i.e. Satyr Wayfinder that cycles itself, or Lotleth Troll with regen and zombie recursion!
I'm also not comfortable changing my entire list. I am an advocate for 4 Gurmag Angler because of its power level. I went to three knowing that with the amount of card draw and how deep I get into my library, that I still have a 68.3% chance of seeing one in my top twenty cards. I used this and other slots to replace with Prized Amalgam, which I'm happy about. I can't bring myself to replace a 1 CMC 5/5 zombie with a 1/1 Vampire with no recursive effect. I feel like my power level goes down if I totally switch out a card that I've won dozens of matches with over the past year or more.
At best, I discard a dredger and get him back or pitch a Vengevine. I have playsets of Lotleth Troll and Faithless Looting that discarding is typically not something I'm worried about, especially with the flashback. I also prefer my first turn to either by Looting or saving life by not fetching/shocking.
Note to players: I will still include Neonate in the front page once I update it
As usual, I agree with your thought process basically entirely. As an aggro-combo deck, we already have enough 1/1's and 2/1's that drop value as the game goes on. Angler's power is relatively consistent throughout the game. Your build is the one I had in mind for updating.
As a side note, I would consider cutting Grisly Salvage instead of Satyr Wayfinder for Abrupt Decay, if you do. With so little mana available per turn, the turns I want to cast Grisly Salvage and the turns I want to cast Abrupt Decay are a huge overlap (i.e. the turns I won't try to cast creatures to trigger VV). I'd feel better with a hand containing Satyr and Decay over Salvage and Decay.
How has only 1 blue source been for you so far? I know we don't plan to cast Prized Amalgam often, but have you found that you dredge it away too often? Also, I would argue that Ghost Quarter is still important in these builds. Especially since we are playing Life from the Loam for Bloodghast, Ghost Quarter is a pretty low investment for a huge payout. It has great targets against most of the big decks going forward (Affinity, Infect, Tron if only Eldrazi Temple is banned, etc.) In a huge corner case, it can also act as a 2nd landfall trigger by blowing up your own land. With all this said, maybe the blue splash means we can't put GQ in?
As usual, I agree with your thought process basically entirely. As an aggro-combo deck, we already have enough 1/1's and 2/1's that drop value as the game goes on. Angler's power is relatively consistent throughout the game. Your build is the one I had in mind for updating.
As a side note, I would consider cutting Grisly Salvage instead of Satyr Wayfinder for Abrupt Decay, if you do. With so little mana available per turn, the turns I want to cast Grisly Salvage and the turns I want to cast Abrupt Decay are a huge overlap (i.e. the turns I won't try to cast creatures to trigger VV). I'd feel better with a hand containing Satyr and Decay over Salvage and Decay.
How has only 1 blue source been for you so far? I know we don't plan to cast Prized Amalgam often, but have you found that you dredge it away too often? Also, I would argue that Ghost Quarter is still important in these builds. Especially since we are playing Life from the Loam for Bloodghast, Ghost Quarter is a pretty low investment for a huge payout. It has great targets against most of the big decks going forward (Affinity, Infect, Tron if only Eldrazi Temple is banned, etc.) In a huge corner case, it can also act as a 2nd landfall trigger by blowing up your own land. With all this said, maybe the blue splash means we can't put GQ in?
Since I don't run Ghost Quarter, I consider my 20th land to be my flex spot. I run 7 fetch lands that can get my blue source, a Life from the Loam if it gets dredged over, and 8 ways to discard Prized Amalgam if I can't cast it. I've also run a singleton blue source back when Twin/Burn was huge in the metagame for my 2 copies of Spellskite out of the sideboard. It was quite efficient there, so I like the idea.
On that note, there was 1 game out of the 19 that I played Friday night where I couldn't get it into play or out of my hand. There were also 2 games where I got stuck on one land after four turns and casting a Faithless Looting, where I scooped.
Regarding Salvage, I could see trimming it to three, but not altogether. I love the effect of Grisly Salvage to grab a relevant card and casting Gurmag Angler without dredging.
Also, going to give Natural State a try in my sideboard as my counter to graveyard hate. I like how it doesn't give the opponent life when used compared to the older standby, though it might be too narrow since Abrupt Decay is already capable of hitting those targets. Having to make budget cuts and use Putrify as a filler to buy the necessary fetches and dual lands is killing me.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Going to mimic Pizzap on this one. Just about all GY hate can be hit with abrupt decay, Naturalize, etc, so how bad it impacts the deck is going to depend on how much you are depending on the GY when the hate lands, and if you got an answer or not in hand. Dredge isn't really hit as hard by hate compared to something like Affinity, which has Stony Silence to deal with and often no way to answer it in time before the other guy stabilizes.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
BGRDredgevineBGR
UWRJeskai ControlUWR
Pauper:
GMono-Green AggroG
MTGO Username: creamy99
Twitch Stream: www.twitch.tv/coachcreamy
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/Cherokee3210
Check it out for the latest testing, gameplay, and dailies!
This is why you must play more than 5 dredgers in a Neonate list. I think 8+ is optimal. You always want one in your opening hand.
I see we've arrived at similar lists. I have removal in the side and play Loam main, along with more land than you and a 1-of Dregscape Zombie as another way to activate Amalgam. How does MD removal feel?
I worry it may slow us down when the opponent isn't playing a creature turn 1. That said, it does free up slots in the SB. I had already been considering cutting the Dregscape Zombie for a Sinister Concoction MD, and this encourages me to test that. But I don't like that Concoction is so useless when dredged.
Sample List
It's a cool deck but it can't take advantage of new cards like Insolent Neonate and Prized Amalgam. Those cards are really powerful and I want to test them out, because neither Infestation Dredge or Dredgevine has been good enough to put up consistent top 8s without them. Maybe now things will change, as they enable a more Legacy-lite style for the deck.
BGRDredgevineBGR
UWRJeskai ControlUWR
Pauper:
GMono-Green AggroG
MTGO Username: creamy99
Twitch Stream: www.twitch.tv/coachcreamy
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/Cherokee3210
Check it out for the latest testing, gameplay, and dailies!
One more thing @Killer_Manfred: Neonate also enables T2 Vine with Neonate -> Discard Vine -> Gravecrawler. Maybe it's not the optimal use of Neonate, but it's still powerful and still happens frequently.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I posted the thoughts I had over in the budget section. Mostly, I'm kind of surprised by Holdout Settlement for mana fixing. Normally I hate tapping down creatures, but since we basically have zero defenders anyway and summoning sickness floating around most of the time (at least from my dry runs online), the drawbacks of the land don't have a lot of impact. Still wouldn't play it as more than a 2 of as it doesn't work turn 1.
That and the new SoI lands aren't bad for budget fast lands, either. Only issue is the consistency hit.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Also, my current list:
4 Bloodghast
4 Gravecrawler
3 Gurmag Angler
4 Lotleth Troll
3 Prized Amalgam
3 Satyr Wayfinder
4 Stinkweed Imp
1 Tymaret, the Murder King
4 Vengevine
Spells:
1 Darkblast
4 Faithless Looting
4 Grisly Salvage
1 Life from the Loam
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Blood Crypt
3 Bloodstained Mire
1 Forest
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
2 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Watery Grave
1 Wooded Foothills
3 Ancient Grudge
1 Firespout
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Gnaw to the Bone
1 Golgari Charm
1 Spellskite
1 Terminate
3 Thoughtseize
BGRDredgevineBGR
UWRJeskai ControlUWR
Pauper:
GMono-Green AggroG
MTGO Username: creamy99
Twitch Stream: www.twitch.tv/coachcreamy
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/Cherokee3210
Check it out for the latest testing, gameplay, and dailies!
Yeah, for the moment I'm using my existing fetch lands (4x polluted Delta), and buying up wooded foothills so I got a fetch that can nab every color, then working on the right mix of checklands and shocks. Next step would be to get the bloodstained mires.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
BGRDredgevineBGR
UWRJeskai ControlUWR
Pauper:
GMono-Green AggroG
MTGO Username: creamy99
Twitch Stream: www.twitch.tv/coachcreamy
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/Cherokee3210
Check it out for the latest testing, gameplay, and dailies!
I will say that it's far from my final list. I wanted to get some games in with Prized Amalgam and see what it did. Some numbers of other creatures will surely be shaved down to fit the Abrupt Decay back in. My thoughts are to trim down the Satyr Wayfinder and potentially something else. I certainly want to get a few dozen more games on paper with Amalgam to determine if three is the number that I want.
After I determine this, then I will put 2-3 back in.
BGRDredgevineBGR
UWRJeskai ControlUWR
Pauper:
GMono-Green AggroG
MTGO Username: creamy99
Twitch Stream: www.twitch.tv/coachcreamy
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/Cherokee3210
Check it out for the latest testing, gameplay, and dailies!
Is there a reason you aren't playing Insolent Neonate? You dismissed it quite harshly before and gave literally no explanation.
It is very good at the beginning of the game when I have a dredger to discard and start the chain immediately. Someone on the previous page pointed this out as well, but I feel that if I don't it's a lackluster 1/1 with no immediate effect, aside from being 1 of 2 cards that I cast to trigger Vengevine. There are so many 1 CMC creatures I'd rather play before it...Birds of Paradise, Vexing Devil, and Goblin Bushwhacker, not necessarily in that order, but I feel that I'd rather topdeck a zombie or a 2 CMC creature that does more with the graveyard, i.e. Satyr Wayfinder that cycles itself, or Lotleth Troll with regen and zombie recursion!
I'm also not comfortable changing my entire list. I am an advocate for 4 Gurmag Angler because of its power level. I went to three knowing that with the amount of card draw and how deep I get into my library, that I still have a 68.3% chance of seeing one in my top twenty cards. I used this and other slots to replace with Prized Amalgam, which I'm happy about. I can't bring myself to replace a 1 CMC 5/5 zombie with a 1/1 Vampire with no recursive effect. I feel like my power level goes down if I totally switch out a card that I've won dozens of matches with over the past year or more.
At best, I discard a dredger and get him back or pitch a Vengevine. I have playsets of Lotleth Troll and Faithless Looting that discarding is typically not something I'm worried about, especially with the flashback. I also prefer my first turn to either by Looting or saving life by not fetching/shocking.
Note to players: I will still include Neonate in the front page once I update it
BGRDredgevineBGR
UWRJeskai ControlUWR
Pauper:
GMono-Green AggroG
MTGO Username: creamy99
Twitch Stream: www.twitch.tv/coachcreamy
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/Cherokee3210
Check it out for the latest testing, gameplay, and dailies!
As usual, I agree with your thought process basically entirely. As an aggro-combo deck, we already have enough 1/1's and 2/1's that drop value as the game goes on. Angler's power is relatively consistent throughout the game. Your build is the one I had in mind for updating.
As a side note, I would consider cutting Grisly Salvage instead of Satyr Wayfinder for Abrupt Decay, if you do. With so little mana available per turn, the turns I want to cast Grisly Salvage and the turns I want to cast Abrupt Decay are a huge overlap (i.e. the turns I won't try to cast creatures to trigger VV). I'd feel better with a hand containing Satyr and Decay over Salvage and Decay.
How has only 1 blue source been for you so far? I know we don't plan to cast Prized Amalgam often, but have you found that you dredge it away too often? Also, I would argue that Ghost Quarter is still important in these builds. Especially since we are playing Life from the Loam for Bloodghast, Ghost Quarter is a pretty low investment for a huge payout. It has great targets against most of the big decks going forward (Affinity, Infect, Tron if only Eldrazi Temple is banned, etc.) In a huge corner case, it can also act as a 2nd landfall trigger by blowing up your own land. With all this said, maybe the blue splash means we can't put GQ in?
On that note, there was 1 game out of the 19 that I played Friday night where I couldn't get it into play or out of my hand. There were also 2 games where I got stuck on one land after four turns and casting a Faithless Looting, where I scooped.
Regarding Salvage, I could see trimming it to three, but not altogether. I love the effect of Grisly Salvage to grab a relevant card and casting Gurmag Angler without dredging.
BGRDredgevineBGR
UWRJeskai ControlUWR
Pauper:
GMono-Green AggroG
MTGO Username: creamy99
Twitch Stream: www.twitch.tv/coachcreamy
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/Cherokee3210
Check it out for the latest testing, gameplay, and dailies!